British Women's Fashion in the 1890s
Created by Eve Grady on Thu, 05/09/2024 - 12:24
This timeline will display the changes in fashion during the 1890s, and the way that these changes reflect cultural patterns of the time. Using illustrations from Punch and The Englishwoman's Review of Social and Industrial Questions, as well as information from original Victorian art journals and illustrations, the timeline will explore the idea of The New Woman, and how women's gained independence during the latter half of the 19th century impacted the clothing that was in style. This timeline was created in 2024 for ENGH/WGST 304: Sexuality and Gender in Victorian Literature and Culture, at Drew University.
Timeline
Chronological table
| Date | Event | Created by | Associated Places | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| circa. 1864 |
Wives and Daughters This text was chosen for the timeline in order to display the clothing worn by young women and children. It is a novel about a middle-class family and their relationships with the men in their town. In the section included, a main character, Betty, calls after her friend with a riding-skirt for his child. These were worn specifically when women were riding their horses, as other clothing in their usual wardrobe would not accomodate for riding. Ther novel displays (in mentions to fashion) the expected shapes and styles worn by everyday women at the time, hence the title: Wives And Daughters: an Every-day Story. Although the source does not fall within the confines of the 1890s, which this project focuses on, it gives us an idea of space for movement within women's clothes, which has existed far before the 1890s. Text reads: "... he galloped home, had a fresh horse and Molly's pony saddled, and though Betty called after him with a riding-skirt for the child, when he was not ten yards from his own stable-door..." Gaskell, Elizabeth Cleghorn, 1810-1865. Wives And Daughters: an Every-day Story. New ed. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1890. |
Eve Grady | ||
| 1 Mar 1890 |
The Tailor and Cutter and London Art Journal This journal goes into excessive detail on the expected trends and standards for the upcoming season. The segment pictured is from the editor to viewers who have written in. Here, a woman has written in asking about how to fix the tightness and discomfort of her long skirts, and the editor replies with the solution of cutting a slit into the skirt. This was a fashion trend new to the 19th-century, and it was only just becoming acceptable among women to cut slits in their clothes so as to allow for more movement. This trusted art journal serves as evidence of the changing expectations surrounding women's clothing. Williamson, John. “The Editor’s Table.” The Tailor and Cutter and London Art Journal: An Index of Cutting, Fashion, and Trade, XXV, 1 Mar. 1890, pp. 76–76. |
Eve Grady | ||
| 1893 |
Women Standing Indoors This illustration shows the fashion of the 1890s. Both women are in shirtwaists, inspired by the men's fashion trend at the time. They have puffed sleeves, an hourglass figure, and bell shaped skirts which allowed for more movement. The women also wear their hair tightly above their heads, as was fashionable at the time. The New York Public Library. "Women standing indoors, England, 1890s" The New York Public Library Digital Collections. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e0-ec01-a3d9-e040-e00a18.... |
Eve Grady | ||
| Spring 1894 |
The Woman at Home This magazine included a section titled: Brides and Bridegrooms. Here, the author describes the location of recent weddings, as well as the outfits worn by the bride and groom. This wedding specifically included a fashion trend which was just becoming popular in the 1890s - bell-shaped skirts. These allowed for more freedom of movement, compared to the strict and heavy bustles that women were used to at the time. Swan, Annie S., 1859-1943. The Woman At Home. London: Warwick Magazine Co, 1894. |
Eve Grady | ||
| 15 Jul 1894 |
The Englishwoman's Review of Social and Industrial Questions This text comes from a magazine published in 1894, and gives an opinion on the use of crinoline in women's clothing. Crinoline is a stiff material usually used for petticoats, made of horsehair and thread. It is an unforgiving and heavy material which many women did not enjoy wearing. This author writes about how an Anti-Crinoline League should be formed and joined, because of the freedom that other fabrics could give women. It serves as a reflection of women's frustrations with fashion of the 1880s. Mackenzie, Antoinette M, Helen Blackburn, C. A. (Caroline Ashurst) Biggs, and Emilia J Boucherett. The Englishwoman's Review of Social And Industrial Questions. New York: Garland Pub., 1894. |
Eve Grady | ||
| 11 Aug 1894 |
On The Track in Battersea Park This illustration, cleverly captioned, "Where there's a wheel there's a way," shows another example of "The New Woman." Similar to the Gibson illustration, this woman is shown head-on, riding a bicycle, and her loose skirt flows freely about her. The bicycle served not only as a way for women to travel together and connect, but also expanded the things they could do alone. The bicycle served as an image of women's emancipation. Of course, clothing had to reflect this new activity, which is why the pleating in the back of women's skirts began to happen. Various. PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI. Vol. 107, Punch Publications Ltd., Etc., London. 1894. |
Eve Grady | ||
| 1895 |
The World of Dress This print illustrates the new common fashion trends that were not just circulating in Great Britain but also, as the poster states, Paris, Vienna, and New York. There is a woman in a (previously mentioned) bell-shaped skirt, with an hourglass figure. This is a reflection of common trends of the time. Corsets were still widely popular, and women's fashion was borrowing from men's with tight shirtwaists which accentuated thin waists. Also visible is the woman's puffed sleeves, another common trend among the 1890s and 1910s. C. Foulkes. 'The World of Dress. New Number Now Ready'. Colour line-block print poster. Great Britain. c.1895. |
Eve Grady | ||
| Jun 1895 |
Scribner's for June This advertisement is a perfect showing of the new possibilities for British women of the 1890s. The image shows a woman riding a bicycle (the safety bike, which had only recently been popularized for women and non-athletes). The shape of her skirt is visible - a loose-fitting bell-shape, which likely had a pleat in the back. Pleats were used in the back of skirts specifically for riding bicycles. This style gave their legs more range of movement. As Britain was becoming more industrialized and women were becoming more involved in the workforce, clothing was reflective of the freedom women were searching for in their day-to-day lives. "The Gibson Girl's America : Drawings by Charles Dana Gibson" in the Graphic Arts Gallery, Thomas Jefferson Building, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., 2013. |
Eve Grady | ||
| 20 Jul 1895 |
Misoneogyny This poem and illustration, submitted by the name "A. Bachelor," are prime examples of the socially conservatives' views on The New Woman. The freedom granted to women at the time was seen as a threat by many men, who were used to total subordinance from women. THe illustration shows a monstrous man painting an image of what looks like a New Woman. The poem is incredibly dismissive of the rights being gained by women at the time, and shrugs it off by implying that soon enough, this zest for freedom will die down and men will be in complete power once again. A. Bachelor. PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI. Vol. 109, Punch Publications Ltd., Etc., London. 1895. |
Eve Grady | ||
| 27 Jul 1898 |
The Sketch This entry gives us an interesting perspective: a woman who does not like the idea of freedom in fashion (or at least, the kind being brought about in the 90s). She believes that for women's clothing to be slowly imitating men's clothing more and more, nmeans that the beauty is being stripped from their outfits. This was certainly a widely held opinion at the time, for women were fearing the loss of their femininity. They were also being convinced by men that the idea of the New Woman was unattractive and boyish, and thus were defensive of their own traditional styles. Various. The Sketch: A Journal of Art And Actuality. London: Ingram brothers, 1898. |
Eve Grady |